For a City With More Engineering
City of Montreal engineers file proposals to mayoral candidates
MONTREAL, Oct. 24, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of Montreal's municipal election, the Professional Syndicate of Scientists (SPSPEM) held a press conference this morning to outline their proposals to make Montreal a city with more genius.
In a constructive and non-partisan approach, the SPSPEM wishes to take advantage of the electoral debate to propose ideas for greater efficiency and more integration in engineering for infrastructure planning, design and management.
- TRANSPARENCY: for the creation of the Office of the General Engineer
With infrastructure investments totaling nearly $ 2 billion a year, it is extremely difficult to rigorously monitor engineering quotations. As a result, the techniques proposed, the materials used or the validity of the extras granted may prove to be unfounded or inadequate. Also, work planning may not respond to real engineering priorities and be malleable to political pressures. The sources of problems are numerous and segmentation, isolation and control of information between engineering teams do not always allow appreciating an overall picture of the situation of engineering in the City of Montreal.
We suggest the creation of the General Engineer position whose mission will be to ensure that the specifications, planning and state of engineering in the City of Montreal meet the highest standards of excellence by carrying out the appropriate audits. The General Engineer shall have a power of investigation independent from the administration in order to report on the value of the engineering work, the soundness of the techniques used, the legitimacy of the planning and the capacity of the City to meet the requirements of necessary expertise. We want this office to act as an expert forum for engineering, including reporting on the projected costs of infrastructure projects.
We believe that the Office of the General Engineer will be able to make substantial savings for taxpayers by ensuring that the work is done at the lowest cost and by achieving the best global practices.
- EXCELLENCE: for the creation of a research group on the management of infrastructure projects
Several measures have already been taken to reduce noise impacts or decrease traffic congestion caused by infrastructure projects. Obviously, these measures do not always meet the expectations of the citizens and the improvement of the practices is necessary since the quantity of building sites in Montreal will increase considerably next year. We therefore wish to go further than the current coordination measures.
We believe that the City should look more closely at how it manages the work so that it minimizes issues. We hope that there will be more thinking on the evaluation of intensive work schedules, the temporary relocation of services or new technologies for carrying out the work in order to minimize the impact on residents, shopkeepers and motorists. We believe that a research group dedicated to these issues would make it possible to change practices for the benefit of citizens.
- MORE ENGINEERING: for greater internal expertise in engineering
Just like with the recommendations of the Commission of inquiry on the awarding and management of public contracts in the construction industry, we would like to see a reinforcement of the internal expertise in engineering. Rather than reducing the working conditions of its scientists, we hope that mayoral candidates can commit to creating an environment conducive to attracting and retaining top talent, including measures to ensure better work-family balance.
It should be noted that following the municipal election, the SPSPEM intends to continue its efforts to inform elected officials so that its proposals are implemented.
About SPSPEM
Founded in 2002 as a result of municipal mergers on the Island of Montreal, the Professional Syndicate of Scientists has 450 members, including engineers, land surveyors, chemists and veterinarians working for the City of Montreal.
SOURCE Syndicat professionnel des scientifiques à pratique exclusive de Montréal (SPSPEM)
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